Holiday Almond Molasses Cookies

These were inspired by Spiced Chocolate Molasses Buttons which look like the peanut butter cookies that have the Hershey's kiss in the middle but are chocolaty and are rich with yummy molasses. I was going to add Carob so they kept closer to the taste of the Button cookies but I decided it wasn't needed...so they became more of a chewy (and crunchy!) gingerbread cookie and boy are they YUMMY!!

I am the kind of person that needs to always have cookies available in the house and I don't like to bake with refined sugar or butters. I'm always re-doing cookie recipes that look delicious with ingredients that I feel good about. Coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses, cinnamon, ginger....these are all ingredients that are good to our bodies! maple syrup has minerals and antioxidants (1T has 2% of our calcium need!), molasses has even more calcium and tons of iron, Coconut oil is mostly saturated fat so it is a bit contraversial. This is my opinion: It has antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties and is a plant based source of saturated fat which out body is able to process more efficiently as energy. Fat is essential to our diet and this along with fat from nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive oil are my diet's plant based fat sources. Cinnamon can lower blood sugar levels, reduce heart disease risk factors, and has a plethora of other impressive health benefits. Ginger can act as an anti-inflammatory, has anti-nausea effects, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels....it's one of the worlds healthiest foods! As for flours, I bake with whole wheat flour a lot, but spelt flour is even easier for our bodies to digest and has even higher mineral content.

Feel good about what you eat (even cookies!!)

Recipe: 

1 cup spelt flour

1/2 cup plus 2T almond flour

1T ground flaxseed

1t cinnamon

1/4t ground ginger

1/4t grated fresh ginger

3/4t baking soda

1/2t fine sea salt

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup molasses
1/2t vanilla

Whole almonds for the top after baked

-In small bowl mix together flaxseed with 3T water. set aside

-In large bowl mix together flours, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda and salt. Set aside

 -In separate mixing bowl (or with a hand-held mixer), beat together the coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla. 

-Whisk the flaxseed mixture for about 30 seconds until gelatinous and add to mixing bowl. Beat until combined. Add grated ginger.

-Add dry ingredients into the wet on a low mixing speed until combined.

-Cover cookie dough with parchment (pressing down the parchment onto the dough in the bowl so it's sort of air tight) and place in fridge to firm up for about 30 min. 

-After 30 min set oven to 350*

-Roll cookie dough into 1T balls and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper (about 12 cookies to a sheet).

-Bake for 14 minutes.

-Remove from oven and press a whole almond into the center.

Purple Cabbage Sauerkraut with Ginger

So many great health benefits to Purple Cabbage Sauerkraut. Purple cabbage is already a superfood in it's own right but when you make it into a raw sauerkraut the health benefits sky rocket! In addition to Vitamins A and C and loads of Antioxidants that the cabbage already provides, fermenting it in its raw state turns it into a powerful probiotic. This means it's great for your gut and your digestive system, feeding it with good bacteria and fighting off harmful bacteria! Probiotics have even been known to help with mental clarity and mood stability! We're all familiar with Kombucha Tea...it's all the rage right now with it's wonderful probiotic benefits. Well this Sauerkraut recipe boosts all the same health benefits and it's easy to make at home (and delicious!)!

Recipe:

1/2 Purple Cabbage shredded

1/4 inch-1/2 inch fresh ginger root, grated

1t salt

big mason jar

-Add shredded cabbage, ginger and salt to a large bowl and mix it and squeeze it and mush it and massage it with your hands for a while (5-10 min). The cabbage will start to release a lot of water. 

-After you've massaged it for a while, transfer it to your big mason jar, packing it all down in there and pouring all the water the cabbage released over the top. 

-Place the screw top on the mason jar and place the mason jar on a plate (the plate is necessary because the jar will leak out purple juices over the next few days).

-Leave it on the counter, out of sunlight for at least 7 days. The Fermentation process will have started on about day 4, but the taste will continue to develop the longer you leave it. 

-Give it a taste on day 7 and see if it's delicious. If it's too mild a flavor, leave it for a little longer...

-Once the flavor is what you like, store in the fridge. 

**Look for ideas about how to eat this Sauerkraut on my IG page: @riverlovesplants

Whole Wheat Flax Bread with Pepita Seeds

Homemade bread fills your house with the most amazing smell.....mmmmmm......and there is nothing better than a slice of bread right out of the oven with (vegan) butter. I make two big loaves every two weeks because we go through about a loaf a week. You can make this recipe into two big loaves or three smaller ones, just divide the dough up into two or three bread pans after the first two rises.

Recipe: 

8-10 cups whole wheat flour (I usually use Bobs Red Mill Whole Wheat)

3/4 cup flax seed (I usually grind my flax seed before putting it in the recipe because it's easier for the body to absorb and makes for a less-seedy bread but grinding is optional)

3/4 cup raw pepita seeds

5 cups warm water

2 T salt

4 T honey (or coconut sugar or raw sugar)

2 T yeast (two packets)

-In a very large bowl add warm water, honey, yeast and salt and whisk until dissolved.

-Add in 8 cups of the flour, the flax and the pepita seeds. 

-Stir with wooden spoon until combined. If it's very sticky add a little more flour and start to knead. You're going to knead the dough (in the bowl because it's less messy!) for 10-15 minutes. Add in more flour (up to 2 additional cups) a little at a time if the dough starts to stick to your hands as you knead. When the dough stops sticking to your hands, you know you have enough flour. 

-After 10-15 min of kneading, cover the bowl with a towel and place in a warm dry place to rise (I usually put in the oven or microwave but make sure they are off) for 1 hour. 

-After the first hour, punch down the dough and knead a few times then cover to rise again as you did before for 1 hour. 

-After second hour, divide dough into two or three even portions (depending on how many loaves you want to make). Spray your loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray and place dough in each one. press the dough down so it spreads over the whole pan and tuck down the sides with your fingers so the top of the loaf looks smooth. 

-Cover and let rise as you did before for 45 minutes. 

-After 45 min, set oven to 375* and bake for 30 min (27 minutes if using 3 loaf pans)

-Take bread out of oven and flip it out of the bread pans and set to cool on cooking rack.

White Bean, Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

Otherwise known in our house as "Superfood Soup"

This soup is a great was to ring in the colder weather and give your immune system a boost!

Sweet potatoes provide not just the A Vitamin they are so well know for, but an abundance of antioxidants and vitamins!

 Kale is widely known as a superfood because it has a little bit of everything that our body needs...vitamins K, A, C, B6, calcium, iron, folate, protein...the list goes on and on!

 ...And we LOVE Beans in a vegan diet for their protein, but white beans like Cannellini Beans are supercharged with antioxidants which protect your body and your skin from free radicals. The destructive actions of free radicals have been linked to the development of a number of degenerative conditions and diseases.*

Recipe: 

1 medium yellow onion

2 cloves garlic diced

2 celery stalks cut up into small pieces

2 large carrots cut up into small pieces

1 tomato diced (or a 15oz can diced tomato)

6 cups water

1 bunch kale torn into small pieces, stems removed

1 medium to large size sweet potato

1 can white beans drained and rinsed

 

 -Heat a little olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. 

-Add onion, celery, carrot and cook for about 8 min. 

-Add in diced garlic and cook for a minute or two. 

-Add diced tomato and cook for about 3 minutes until everything looks caramelized

-Add 6 cups water, sweet potato and beans. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes or until sweet potato is tender. 

-Season with salt and pepper

-Add Kale and cook a few minutes, until kale is just tender. 

-Serve with a little bread or even over a grain like farro or rice to complete the protein of the white beans! YUM!

* source: www.healthwithfood.org

Butternut Squash, Apple and Almond Muffins

I recently made these muffins to help celebrate my mom's birthday! They are every bit as sweet and delicious as cupcakes but without any refined sugar!

Recipe: 

3 cups diced and roasted (or steamed) butternut squash

3/4 cup rice flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1/2 whole wheat flour

1/2t salt

1/2t baking powder

1/2t baking soda

1/4t cinnamon

1/8t ground ginger

3T ground flaxseed

3/4 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup coconut oil

1t vanilla 

1 sweet apple peeled and diced

2T chopped almonds 

-Heat oven to 350*

-Line muffin tin with 12 baking cups

-Smash or process roasted (or steamed) butternut squash into puree and set aside

-In a medium size bowl, mix ground flaxseed with 9T warm water and set aside

-In large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger.

-Whisk up flaxseed/water mixture for about 30 seconds until gelatinous. add squash puree, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla. 

-Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix. 

-Fold in chopped apple.

-Scoop muffin mix into each of the 12 muffin cups

-Top muffins with some of the chopped almonds

-Bake at 350* for 35 min or until toothpick comes out clean.

Zucchini & Tomato "Ricotta" Pie with Quinoa Crust

Quinoa crust is a new thing i'm into these days...it's the easiest crust in the world to make and it's so much healthier for you than traditional flour pie crust. This pie is creamy and full of great flavor. Paired with a nice green salad, it's a really delicious, light and satisfying meal!

RECIPE:

For the Crust: 

3/4 cup cooked and cooled quinoa

2 flax eggs (2T ground flaxseed mixed with 6T warm water. whisk until gelatinous)

pinch of salt 

-Pre-heat oven to 375*

-Spray a 9" round pie pan with non-stick spray

-Mix ingredients together and press into the pie pan. Press it out all along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. 

-Bake in over for 10 min. and then let cool a bit before adding pie filling.

For the veggies on top:

1 med-large zucchini

6-7 small tomatoes

-Increase oven temp to 400*

-Using a mandolin at 1/8" slicing width, slice up zucchini into circles. (or just use knife and cut the thinnest slices you can)

-Toss the zucchini slices in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them out on a baking sheet. Roast at 400* for about 10 min. or until they just begin to brown. Take out of oven and set aside.

-Meanwhile, slice up the tomatoes into very thin slices and spread slices on a tea towel (or blot them with a paper towel) to get some of the water off. Set aside while you make Ricotta filling.

-decrease oven temp back down to 375*

For the Ricotta Filling:

(this is an adaptation from the Whole Foods recipe)

1 package extra firm tofu

1 1/2 T tahini

2 cloves garlic

3 T nutritional yeast

pinch of nutmeg

1 1/2 teasp. white miso

juice of half a lemon

pinch of pepper

2T shallot

-Crumble tofu into high powered blender, then add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until combined but don't over process. 

To Assemble the Pie: 

-Spread ricotta filling into the quinoa crust evenly using a spatula. 

-Arrange the zucchini and tomato slices on top however you wish

-Bake at 375* for 30 minutes and enjoy!

 

Superfood Chili

College Football Game Day is coming up (Go GA Bulldawgs) and our house has game-day food on the brain. It is game day food...but with this chili recipe, you'll actually be eating a giant bowl of disease-fighting protein-power goodness...so it's game-day food you can feel GREAT about! Dip chips in it, add some vegan sour cream, fresh cilantro...go crazy! It's SO GOOD!

Beans Beans Beans!!! I cannot say enough good things about beans. Lentils, black beans, kidney beans...this chili has it all plus tons of veggies. There is a hidden eggplant in here too although you would never know it. Eggplants are in season and I have them coming out of my ears with our CSA right now.....BUT the eggplant completely breaks down and adds to the meatiness of the chili and I promise you, you can't taste it, see it or feel it (my husband hates eggplant).

The spices are mild but delicious so this is one recipe that my 2 year old looooves as well. like...lick-the-bowl loves!

Recipe: 

1-2 T olive oil

1 large eggplant chopped into 1/2 in cubes

1 medium onion chopped

1 large clove garlic minced

 1 red pepper chopped

2-3 large carrots chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

1 cup brown or green dry lentils

4 cups water

1 28 oz can diced tomato

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

2 cups sweet yellow corn

2 T chili powder

1 T cumin

1 T blackstrap molasses

 - Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. 

-Add chopped eggplant and cook for about 5 minutes while stirring. 

-Add onion, garlic, carrots, celery, red pepper and cook an additional 5 minutes or until onion looks just a bit translucent. (If it starts to stick to the bottom a little, that's ok, it adds to the flavor. But just make sure it's not burning to the bottom. If it starts to burn a little, add a touch of water or a touch of olive oil and stir it up off the bottom.)

-Add the cumin, chili powder and molasses and stir for 1 minute. 

-Add the lentils, water and tomato and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 25 min or until lentils are tender. (could take up to 45 minutes... I've actually had them take over 90 min before (and I never bought lentils from that place again!). It all depends on the age of the lentils and how they were stored.)

-When lentils are tender, add the black beans, kidney beans and corn and cook until just heated through. 

-Take chili off the heat and let sit for 10-20 min or so...then enjoy! It's SO freaking good!

Scratch-Made Tomato Sauce with Breaded and Baked Eggplant Rounds

 

Homemade tomato sauce with these crunchy, chewy eggplant rounds is every bit as satisfying as classic Eggplant Parmesan! Making your own tomato sauce is definitely not as easy as going into your pantry and pulling out a jar of the store-bought stuff...but if you have never attempted your own tomato sauce, this is the season to do it because you will not believe how delicious a tomato sauce made from fresh garden tomatoes tastes!! For the tomato sauce, you have to peel the tomatoes before you make the sauce and the easiest way to do that is to boil them for just a minute and them submerge in ice-water. The skin will start to peel right off on its own. I explain in the recipe below.

If you're not all that familiar with cooking with eggplant, it's really not as intimidating (or tasteless and spongy) as it seems!! The trick to cooking eggplant is letting it sweat out its moisture before you start to cook it. This insures that you'll get a nice chewy, crisp roasted finished produce rather than a soggy one. I explain in the recipe below.

Scratch-Made Tomato Sauce

what you'll need:

10 tomatoes

1t italian seasoning (basil, oregano, parsley)

1 clove garlic

pinch sugar (I used coconut sugar)

pinch salt and pepper

-Get a big pot of water boiling on the stove. 

-Fill up a large bowl with ice water and set aside. 

-Slice a shallow "X" with a sharp knife on the bottom of each tomato. This helps the skin begin to peel off the tomatoes after the boiling process. 

-Submerge all the tomatoes into boiling water for 1 minute then transfer to ice-water bowl. Let the tomatoes sit in there until they are cool enough to handle (a few minutes) and then peel off the skin from the tomatoes. It will come off very easily. 

-Transfer peeled tomatoes to blender and pulse until they are the consistency you're going for. I like it a little chunky so I pulse just a few times. 

-Empty out the pot in which you boiled the tomatoes, return to stove and pour in the tomatoes. 

-Grate your garlic right into the pot

-Add your italian seasoning and the sugar

-Bring the tomatoes to a boil and then reduce to medium-high heat and cook uncovered until it reduces by half, stirring frequently. It will take about an hour. 

-you're done! Sauce is ready to eat!!

Breaded and Baked Eggplant Rounds

What you'll need:

1 large eggplant (long and skinny is great for this but any size will do)

1 cup of bread crumbs (I used fresh whole wheat bread that I buzzed in the food processor)

2 flax eggs (2T flaxmeal in 6T water) (Or 1 egg if you eat eggs....)

salt and pepper

sea salt

-Slice your eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds

-Place the rounds into a colander and sprinkle generously with sea salt. Turn the rounds a couple times to ensure that both sides are covered with the salt. 

-Let the rounds sit in the colander for 15 minutes. 

-Rinse the rounds under water, then place between two towels and press down to dry them.

-Pre-heat oven to 400*

-Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside

-Whisk up your flax eggs in a bowl 

-Pour bread crumbs onto a plate and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix around.

-Dip the eggplant rounds one at a time, first into the flax mixture to coat, and then into the breadcrumbs, then onto baking sheet.

-Once all the rounds are coated and on the baking sheet, bake at 400* for 20 min on one side, then flip and continue to cook 20 minutes on the other side. 

Carrot Molasses Muffins

These muffins are staples in our house. I had a link to the recipe in a past post but I noticed recently that the blog where I found this recipe is no longer active. sad. It was a great blog with some really great vegan/GF recipes. For the Love of Leaves was the name of the blog... Luckily, I have committed her recipe for these muffins to memory, so I can resurrect it here! Huge hit of iron in these because of all the molasses, and they are loaded with carrots! so so delicious! They freeze like a dream, so make a batch and freeze half. Pull one or two out at a time and defrost at room temp or overnight in the fridge and then toast them! mmmmmmmm!!

Recipe:

(makes 12 big muffins)

2 cups spelt flour

1t baking soda

1/2t salt

1t cinnamon

2T ground flax mixed with 6T warm water

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup Black Strap Molasses

1/2 cup almond milk

1T vanilla

1T apple cider vinager

1.5 cup shredded carrot

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

pre-heat oven to 350*

-prepare muffin tins by either spraying or lining with paper liners.

-combine flax and water and set aside.

-mix together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nuts in a large bowl.

-whisk the flax/water mixture up until gelatinous (30 seconds or so), add coconut oil, vanilla, molasses, milk, vinegar and carrots. mix.

-add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined.  

-fill each muffin tin just to top of tin. 

-bake for 30 min. cool and enjoy!

Baked Summer Ratatouille

 My favorite summer dish, inspired by an old recipe Whole Living magazine. I'm still in mourning due to this magazine going out of print. It was and still is my all time favorite.

Baked Summer Ratatouille
The juices that form in this dish after it's baked are irresistible! It's great on its own, or put it over a grain like rice or farro or quinoa or even a thick slice of toasted bread! The juices will run down and soak up into the grains or bread. soooo yummy!!

Recipe:

1 large purple onion

2-3 large tomatoes

2 zucchini

2 yellow squash

1T thyme

1T nutritional yeast (optional)

1-2T olive oil

 pre-heat oven to 375*

Cut onion in half and then thinly slice into rainbow-shaped slices. Cook the onion up in a little olive oil over medium heat on the stove for 6-8 minutes until onion turns translucent and a little brown. Spray your 9x13in baking pan with non-stick spray. spread onions out on bottom of pan. Slice up your tomato, zucchini and squash into 1/4 inch slices and arrange them in the pan similar to what you see in the picture above. You want them to be alternating and overlapping...whatever looks pretty to you! Drizzle over the olive oil, sprinkle on the thyme and nutritional yeast and a little salt and pepper. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 30 min. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes. Let cool a few minutes (because it is HOT when it come out!!) and then dig in!

Chickpea tortillas with spinach

Tell me if this sounds familiar: 

You've planned this great soft taco dinner night and you've prepared all these great bowls filled with tomatoes, lettuce, corn, beans....all these ingredients for each member of your family to create their own beautiful taco. After everyone has prepared their tacos and sat down, you look around and realize that your kids have plain tortillas (probably filled with just cheese if your a non-vegan family) and skipped all the other nutritious ingredients.

The tortilla itself seems like a big opportunity to jam some nutrition! That's where this recipe comes in.

Think of a cross between a pancake and a tortilla. That's what we have here. A savory pancake-like tortilla with loads of protein, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium...!! It's a winner!!

So easy to make. Just 3 ingredients:

Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean Flour), garlic powder, spinach (chopped up).

Recipe: 

(makes 4 tortillas)

1 cup Chickpea flour

1 cup water plus 3T water

1/4 t garlic powder

big handful spinach chopped up

a little salt and pepper

mix all ingredients together.

Heat up a skillet to med-high on the stove and add a bit of coconut oil to coat the pan (or spray with cooking spray). Pour in enough batter to make a small tortilla sized pancakes. when it starts to bubble a little (like a pancake) flip it and cook a bit longer on the other side. Repeat until enough tortillas are made. Let the tortillas cool on a rack as they are done. 

The tortillas alone taste great! 

Try with beans, corn, coleslaw OR roasted sweet potato with sauteed onions and green pepper! Anything that sounds good to you!

Cooking in Season - Baked Fennel & Onion

Fennel is definitely something that is passed over at farmers markets. My sister calls it the "funky onion" because it has an onion-like bulb with long stalks covered in greens that look a lot like Dill, and it smells like licorice! Fennel is actually a member of the celery family and is a great source of Vitamin C. It is also a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, iron and folate. 

But how do you fit something that smells like licorice into a meal for your family??! 
I know, right?! But stick with me here, I've got a great recipe for you to try and it only takes about 25 min to pull together!

Baked Fennel & Onion

(adapted from an old Better Homes and Gardens recipe)

4-5 Fennel bulbs

1 medium yellow onion

2 large cloves garlic

1/2 cup unsweetened Almond milk

1/8 cup vegan Parmesan (store bought or make recipe here)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 T vegan butter

pinch nutmeg

bit of salt

pinch of pepper

pre-heat oven to 425*

 get a big pot boiling on the stove and add a pinch of salt. 

spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick spray.

slice up onion and fennel into big-ish slices. boil them for about 5-6 min. 

drain onion and fennel and spread out on bottom of baking dish.

grate the garlic cloves over top, sprinkle pinch of salt and pepper and nutmeg. 

pour almond milk all around on top.

sprinkle vegan parmisan all over on top. 

dot the 1T vegan butter around on top.

bake for 15-20 minutes (until milk is bubbling and edges a slightly browned)

sprinkle chopped walnuts over  top and serve!

**This dish is great over a grain or a pasta. My favorite with it is Farro! **

Helpful tip-How to chop up Fennel:

cut off the stalks on top of the bulb. slice bulb in half and then cut out the core (the core is the small hard area in the bottom-center of the bulb). Then slice up similar to how you would slice up an onion into long strips.

Sauces and Dips

These three sauces are staples in our house. They have made some cameos in previous posts on this blog, but I thought it might be helpful to have them all in one place. They are in an endless rotation cycle in our fridge because I absolutely must have at least one waiting for me at a moments notice at all times. They really don't take too much time to make...it's just a matter of measuring out the ingredients and whisking them up in a bowl (or blending in the vitamix)...but when hunger strikes...sometimes I don't want to measure and whisk, I want to EAT! 

They are so versatile. All three go wonderfully with any kind of roasted, steamed, raw veggie and/or greens. They are all spectacular in a grain-bowl and veggie dish. They all go wonderfully with noodles....AND they are all awesome DIPS for veggies, nuggets, fries....you name it! 

Pick any one of these three and try them out for yourself and your kiddos! I'll give you a little taste description below to help you choose (although it would be totally fine to make all three at one time too!!!) :

The Peanut Sauce leans more toward an Asian feel because it has coconut aminos and ginger. It's sweet and peanuty.

The Red Pepper "Cheese" Sauce is smooth and mild and tastes similar to creamy nacho cheese. The creaminess comes from soaked cashews and the flavor from the rest of the (totally good for you) ingredients.

The Sweet Miso Sauce is not mine. It's Angela's from Oh She Glows and it's completely delicious. It's sweetened with orange juice and maple syrup. If you have never tried a miso sauce on a salad or veggies or quinoa or...whatever....try this one now! It's so sweet and quite irresistible.

WHY DO YOU NEED SAUCES? 

DON'T THEY JUST ADD UNNECESSARY FAT AND SALT??!

Probably the sauces that we are all used to do. Dressings and dips that you buy pre-made at the store have all kinds of nasty stuff in them. Making your own sauces and dips at home allows you to know what you're putting in them...and you'll be able to pronounce all the ingredients, won't have to add preservatives, extra salt....etc. And they taste way better.

WHAT THESE THREE SAUCES HAVE GOING FOR THEM:

(Nutrition Info)

Peanuts and Cashews are good sources of protein, have those good unsaturated fats as well as vitamin E, Folate, Calcium and Magnesium.

Miso is fermented soy beans and therefore contains protein and fiber. The fermentation process breaks down hard to digest oils, proteins and carbohydrates found in soybeans, so we can more easily digest the nutrients. It also provides vitamin B2, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, iron, and potassium.

Garlic, Onion and Ginger are healing super foods that provide anti inflammatory benefits as well as aid in digestive health.

Red Peppers are high in vitamin C and contain vitamin B6, vitamin A and magnesium.

Tahini has iron and calcium

Nutritional Yeast has the all important vitamin B12

Chia seeds act as the thickener in the cheese sauce but are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and antioxidants.

RECIPES:

Peanut Sauce:

4 T peanut butter

3T coconut aminos

1t minced fresh ginger

1 minced garlic clove

1t sesame oil

1/4 cup water

mix it all together with a wisk!

Red Pepper "Cheese" Sauce:

(adapted from PPK recipe for red pepper cheese)

1 medium onion

1 large clove garlic

1 roasted red pepper

3/4 cup cashews (soaked at least 4 hours in water)

2T nutritional yeast

1T tomato paste

1T tumeric

2 cups vegetable broth

1T mustard

1/2 t salt

4T chia seeds

Chop up onion and garlic and saute in a bit of olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add to blender. Drain cashews and add to blender along with all other ingredients. blend until smooth.

Sweet Miso Sauce:

This recipe is Angela's Orange-Maple Miso Dressing found here. 

The Perfect Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Summer is coming and that means LOTS of reasons to celebrate! Pool parties, Birthday parties, Picnics at the park... and I don't know about you, but when I celebrate I like to do it with CUPCAKES!! :)  My all time favorite cake is carrot cake, but most of the recipes that taste the best have tons of refined sugar in them...until now! I have perfected the carrot cake cupcake! Complete with vegan cream cheese frosting (thanks to ourfourfork's amazing vegan cream cheese frosting recipe...I'm obsessed!).

Recipe:
(makes 12 large cupcakes)

2.25 cups flour (i used a mix of unbleached organic white and whole wheat)

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup applesauce

1 cup almond milk

 2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup dates

 3/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup canola oil

 2 cups grated carrots

remove pit from dates and soak in warm water for 1 hour. preheat oven to 350* and line cupcake tins with paper (or grease). In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In food processor, add the applesauce, soaked dates and maple syrup and process until dates are broken down and it's a syrup consistency. Empty syrup into separate bowl and mix in almond milk, vanilla and oil. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix. fold in carrots and stir until just combined. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Click HERE for Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. Seriously, even if you don't make the cupcakes, whip up some of this frosting just to have on hand for those moments when you need a spoonful of frosting! It's made with cashews, coconut water (or milk) and maple syrup!

Light and Crispy Oatmeal Waffles

 

Light and crispy waffles that will nourish your body without weighing you down. These waffles come together in no time at all and with ingredients you always have on hand.

Recipe:

1.25 cup oats

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch cinnamon

1 mashed banana

1 cup almond milk

1 flax egg

Turn on waffle iron to medium-low so it can heat up. Place about 1.25 cups oats in food processor and buzz them into coarse powder. This should yield about 1 cup buzzed oats. Mix together ground oats, cinnamon and baking powder. Add mashed banana, flax egg and milk and stir to combine. Start making waffles! Make sure to spray the waffle iron before pouring batter so they don't stick. Also make sure the iron is on medium-high setting so they crisp up. Enjoy! We usually eat waffles with black strap molasses for an extra boost of iron, but these are sweet and delicious on their own or an absolute dream with maple syrup!

Nutrition:

Oats are a wonderful way to start the day. They nourish your central nervous system and provide your body with more essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients than most other processed grains. Eating oatmeal also supplies you with energy, protein and healthy fat

Cooking with a toddler

If you read my last post, you know how important I think it is to include your kiddos in meal preparation. It's a huge opportunity for them to explore tastes and smells and different foods and to start building their healthy recipe repertoire.

If you read my last post, you may also be thinking, "what?!? cooking with a toddler?! that would be the opposite of helpful!!"
...I know, right?! But it's easier than you'd think to keep them safe, helpful and most importantly entertained in the kitchen.

Most toddlers want to help. I let Owen chop and peel and be my little taste tester! I ask him questions like, "here, taste! Do you think there's enough spinach in this curry or could we use another handful...?" and then I let him put the handful in! It doesn't matter if they are at a stage where they are saying 2 words or over 500 words...they'll get what you're saying and LOVE the time with you.

Here are some tips that have been helpful in my kitchen: 

When I'm chopping vegetables, I give Owen a knife of his own and a section of the item I'm chopping.

His plastic knife from IKEA. Safe and effective! ;)

 When I'm doing something at the stove that needs my full attention like pouring hot liquid, I'll give him a task that will keep his attention and keep him out of harms way. For example: I'll set his stool on the far end of the counter for him to stand on or have him sit on the floor and either peel garlic or peel an onion. both of these tasks take a while... Don't worry if you don't need the garlic or onion for the meal you're working on. I have a bowl on my kitchen window sill of garlic cloves that are ready when I need them! ;)

Takes a while to get those cloves out of the head of garlic! ;)

If you have more tips to share I'd LOVE to hear them! Tell me what has worked for you in the comments below!

A meal that they helped with is a meal they will be proud to eat!

A Week of Toddler Lunches

A Week of Toddler Lunches

(and why I don't think I'll ever have to say, "you can't leave the table until you eat all your veggies!")

Lunchtime is one of my favorite times of the day. Not only because I get to eat food....but because my son really loves playing in the kitchen with pots, pans and real food (as opposed to plastic food in his play kitchen). Ever since he started eating solid foods, we've been making lunches together. He's either on my hip looking down over the cooking process or he's standing on his stool chopping or pouring or concocting right along side me. 

This time together has, i'm sure, had a big impact on his relationship with food and his little toddler palate. We are a whole-foods, plant-based home, so the word "veggies" is pretty much the same as the word "food." If we're sitting down to a meal, you can pretty much bet that veggies are playing a starring role. That's what we eat, so that's what my son knows. 

Much different than the way I grew up: meat, starch and a veggie on the plate. And the veggie was never the star but rather an afterthought that is only there because we have to eat our veggies ...know what I mean?? 

Nutrition is so important to all bodies, but especially growing bodies that are being exposed to different germs for the first time. Each meal is an opportunity to pack their little tummies full of good vitamins and minerals, proteins, fats and carbohydrates that will help them to feel their best and fight off germs.

I took a picture of our lunches last week: Monday through Friday. 

 Monday

Veg curry (recipe found here) with added peas

 Tuesday

brown rice, french green lentils, butternut squash and spinach with a homemade sweet miso sauce found here. (mine was over lettuce)

 Wednesday

This was a to-go lunch packed into a tupperware: chickpea salad in tortilla with orange slices

Thursday

steamed sweet potato, french green lentils, steamed carrots, steamed beets, roasted zucchini with peanut sauce found here. cashew cheese on toast.

 Friday

roasted brussels sprouts, green beans and potato over quinoa with sweet miso sauce (recipe found here), sunflower and pepita seeds

These lunches come together pretty quickly with a little prepping done once a week during nap time. Here's an example of a prepping hour and what the fridge looks like. All yummy foods at your finger tips!

cooking: brown rice, french green lentils, veggie stock. already roasted butternut squash and zucchini. up next: steam the beets and wash the beet greens.

the fridge: everything easy to see in clear containers with labels.

Vegan Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

 Even vegans like a little meat sauce on their spaghetti.

Toddler edition/Mommy edition (only difference: I cut up his noodles)

I started something new a couple weeks ago. Instead of just planning the menu each week based on what sounds good/looks good at the grocery store, I broke down the days into themes. Check it out:

Monday = Taco night

Tuesday = Indian night

Wednesday = Italian night

Thursday = Grain bowl night

Friday = American night

The weekends are when Chuck and I cook together, so those are a little more creative and spur-of-the-moment. It's been pretty fun having these themes! Taco night can mean anything from lettuce wraps to enchiladas; Indian night could be a lentil loaf or a quick and easy curry...etc. Each night gives me the flexibility to either do a super quick meal (spaghetti) or a more time-consuming meal (stuffed shells or lasagna).

Spaghetti is a go-to quick and easy meal for a lot of us right? And it can be pretty boring...but adding just one ingredient will change a simple tomato sauce into a nutritious and delicious meat sauce! Walnut meat! It gives a really nice meaty bite with each fork full and provides protein and omega-3s.  Check out how easy this is:

recipe:

Your favorite spaghetti sauce (or make your own with this recipe)

3/4 cup to 1 cup chopped walnuts

2 big handfuls spinach (optional)

heat up sauce in sauce pan. Add chopped walnuts and spinach. stir until spinach wilts a bit. Add favorite spaghetti noodle. Enjoy. 

BROWNIE BITES and WHY I went vegan

It's my 6-months-vegan anniversary (yay!) and I thought I'd celebrate by sharing two things:  

1.) The most delicious, nutritious, feel good Carob Beet Brownie Bites that you and your kiddos have ever tasted. and 2.) The story behind why I started eating vegan

First things first! Let's see the Brownies!!

 mmmmm. soooo goooood. I got hooked on beet brownies after Kate Barry posted a picture of them years and years ago on instagram and then forwarded me a recipe. I will use any excuse to insert vegetables into....anything, but in the case of beet brownies, the beets actually make them richer and more moist....so there's a reason for this vegetable-in-my-brownies madness!! They are a great little snack nibble for kiddos-a quick bite of energy!

 

Recipe

    -3/4 cup whole wheat flour

    -1/4 cup carob powder

    -2 large beets (about 1cup)

    -3/4 cup pitted dates  *see note below

    -1/4 cup maple syrup

    -2 Tablespoon flaxseed ground into flax meal

    -1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

    -1 teaspoon baking powder

    -1 teaspoon vanilla

    -1/4 teaspoon salt

    -1/4 cup carob chips 

-*If your dates are leathery and dry instead of gooey, soak them in hot water while beets are steaming (20min). Drain dates before putting them in the food processor/blender.

-Peel beets and cut into 1 inch chunks (tip: if you peel under running water, you won’t dye your hands red). Place beets in steamer and steam for about 20 min. You want them very fork tender (another tip: buy beets with the greens still on and save those greens! blend them up in a smoothie or saute with some veggies. So many nutrients in there).

-Place steamed beets and dates into a food processor or blender. Blend them up into a paste.

the beet/date paste

-Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 8x8 pan with nonstick cooking spray.

-In a small bowl add ground flax and 6T hot water. Set aside.

- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder carob powder and salt. Set aside.

-Take your flax bowl and whisk together flax and water until gelatinous (About 30 seconds).

-In a medium bowl, mix the beet/date mixture, maple syrup, coconut oil, flax and vanilla until combined.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Mix in the carob chips.  Transfer batter into pan and spread out. Cook at 350 for 25 minutes. Let cool before slicing up into little cubes. ENJOY! Keep these chewy little delicious nuggets of goodness in an airtight container in the fridge.

Why are they "nutritious, feel good" brownie bites?? 

There is no refined sugar to be found in these brownies. Dates and maple syrup are the sweetener with all of their wonderful natural minerals. 1 cup of Beets! Beets are a good source of vitamin C and are rich in antioxidants. Carob powder instead of cocoa powder or chocolate which means no caffeine. Also, carob contains a higher concentration of essential nutrients, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and folate than chocolate.

Ok, now for the next item on the agenda...WHY I WENT VEGAN:

I have always been a big lover of fruits and veggies and I used to think that I ate very healthy. I mostly ate white meat with the occasional red meat thrown in there if it was sourced well. I ate the meat protein as the main part of the meal with lots of veggies on the side...maybe a starch on the side as well....the way most of us grew up eating. I always kept a healthy weight while eating this way. The big change came after the birth of my son. I started looking at what was healthy and natural for our bodies in a different light. Breastfeeding started the change and horrible postpartum insomnia completed the change to a vegan diet.

Breastfeeding brought out a greater understanding and respect for what it means to produce milk for our babies. I was and still am able to provide milk for my son, milk that my body is making especially for him. Why would I cut off the milk supply that I am making especially for him, and start to give him milk from a cow that was meant for her calf?! I know some women have really great reasons for choosing/needing not to breastfeed, and for that reason have respect for the science behind using animal milk to nourish our human babies. If cows milk was being produced for humans in a more humane way rather than through factory farming, and perhaps only being produced for babies age 0-2 that need the supplemental milk, I think the big picture would look a lot different. The way it is now...It's a really ugly, scary picture. I started to look into milk production a little more. I read, watched documentaries, even visited a milk farm here in Virginia. Without getting into it too much...it's just not something I can play a part in anymore. That means no milk, no cheese, no yogurt, no icecream, no butter for this girl anymore.

 So, at the same time that my feelings for milk were changing, I was experiencing horrible postpartum insomnia. Don't be surprised if you've never heard of this...I hadn't either!! My month old son was sleeping like a champ, practically through the night from day 2, and I was going weeks without even a minute of sleep. It was torture. I was fortunate not so suffer from any postpartum depression. Perhaps the exact opposite: postpartum euphoria. I was full of joy with this new baby...I just couldn't sleep a wink to save my life! My heart would start beating really fast as it got closer to bedtime and I would get anxious and sometimes hysterical, for no reason at all. Anxiety. Awful. Perhaps there was a pill that could have had me sleeping like a baby in no time at all, but a breastfeeding mother cannot take that kind of medication.  I'm not one to take medication anyway...I had a childhood with a daily Rx to Ritalin. Those are pretty heavy Rx drugs out there these days and I think they mask the problem and change who you are....but that's another story.

The same documentaries I was watching and articles I was reading about the dairy industry lead me to other articles and studies about animal protein. How it may not be healthy for human bodies in this day and age (The China Study; Forks Over Knives) and how it may not be healthy for our planet. I read about how dairy can possibly exacerbate anxiety. How consuming animal proteins can throw your hormones off, affecting your mental health. I decided to try eliminating all animal products from my diet in an effort to combat this anxiety driven insomnia. I told my husband I was going to eat vegan for one month and see if anything changed. That was six months ago...I've never looked back. I would say about 90% of my anxiety disappeared within the first two weeks. I never felt so good in my life. Hair, skin, body, mind, everything. Never felt better.